This invention relates broadly to power tools, and more specifically to accessories for table, power cutting tools such as table saws.
When performing wood carpentry work it is often necessary to establish a straight and true edge on warped boards or boards with an uneven edge by removing a minimal amount of material. In this regard, it is also often necessary to use a joiner and/or a planer along a cut edge, or along the edge of a board purchased from a saw mill, in order to make the edge truly straight, normal and flat in all respects so that it can be joined with a similar edge without creating gaps or to establish a straight (reference) edge for further cuts. Such processing often requires multiple joiner passes which unduly increases work and consumes time. Further, properly performing such cuts normally requires the posession of expensive machinery and therefore the investment of considerable money both for the machines themselves and for the space for storing and/or utilizing the machines. Many "do-it-yourselfers" often like to use old or scrap lumber in order to save money and would therefor like to be able to prepare such truly straight edges but would perfer not to have to invest in the tools normally necessary therefor. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a relatively inexpensive accessory to be used with a power table saw or other similar table cutting tool which enables the table saw to make near perfect edge cuts which are sufficiently flat, straight and normal so that they can be joined with similar cuts without creating undue gaps therebetween.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a guide tool which can be used with a table saw and other power table cutting machines, to improve the use of the board itself as a guide for making cuts therein.
Another object of this invention is to provide a guide tool to be used by a carpenter which enables him to easily make angled lengthwise cuts on boards.
It was suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,680 to Bishop to use a straight-edge member attached to the edge of a board to form a guide for a saw to follow in cutting the board. However, in Bishop the straight-edge member is nailed to the board and this, of course, has the disadvantage that it leaves nail holes in the board. It is, therefore, yet another object of this invention to provide a straight edge to be attached to the edge of a board which thereby enables the board to serve as a guide but which does not mark, or in any way harm, the board.
Another object of this invention is to provide a guide edge clamp which is easy to use, inexpensive to purchase, but yet which is durable and accurate.